Now I was alone again, and my stomach suddenly growled. How embarrassing. Luckily, there was no one else in my office.
I got up from my chair and went to the sofa table to see what Felix had brought me to eat.
I opened the package, and inside were several slices of my favorite roast beef sandwich, along with mustard and tomato sauce. It was the perfect combination for my hungry stomach.
I smiled when I saw it. I picked up my smartphone from my desk and called Felix to thank him.
"Hi, Elena. Do you miss me?" Felix said on the other end of the line.
"No. I want to thank you. You sent me lunch again. You know, I'm busy and don't have time to go to the cafeteria. Luckily, you asked someone at the office to give me my lunch. You saved me from starvation, Felix,"
I said enthusiastically to my lunch savior.
"I sent you lunch!? No. It wasn't me, Elena. I haven't sent you lunch today. I was just about to order it,"
"It wasn't you? Don't joke around,"
"I'm serious. It wasn't me. Maybe someone else you know, like Aldrich?"
"Him? Since when has he been so attentive to others? Especially his ex,"
I couldn't believe it. Aldrich is still that attentive.
"Who knows. From the way he got angry that time, even I, as a man, realized that he still likes you, Elena."
"He must be crazy. He thinks I'm a toy that he can throw away and pick up whenever he likes. He's my brother-in-law. It's crazy if he really still likes me,"
I argued. My mouth said no, but when I touched my own chest, I could feel my heart still beating irregularly.
"You're lying, Elena. You still like him."
"Then, if I still like him, what should I do? He belongs to my sister, and that's the reality. Felix, I don't want to hear that anymore. Let me be calm, at least you're my friend. Don't make me even more upset."
After saying that, I hung up the phone.
My appetite immediately disappeared. The sandwich that had made me smile no longer appealed to me.
"Ava, come in!" I called to Ava who was in the next room.
A short while later, Ava came in. "What is it, Miss?"
I closed the food container again and handed it to Ava. "Ava, I don't want to eat it. You can throw it away or eat it yourself. And one more thing, please order me some food from outside. I'm hungry."
Ava looked at me strangely, as if she wanted to ask me something, but she remained silent. "Okay, Miss. I'll order the food. Excuse me."
Ava left. And now I was left with an empty stomach, filled only with tea that was starting to get cold.
"Argh! I'm hungry. Why did I give the sandwich to Ava? If only I had lowered my ego a little, I wouldn't have had to wait this long for food. Elena, you're useless." I muttered, cursing myself for being so stupid.
Several accumulated tasks had been completed, and it was already 5:00 p.m. Employees had begun leaving work to go home. I myself was getting ready to leave.
I grabbed the blazer draped over my office chair because autumn had arrived a few days ago. I took the elevator down from the 5th floor, which was rented as the office for LaFibre Fashion Industries employees. My grandfather's company, which I now run.
Arriving on the ground floor, I exited the building, and once again, time was not on my side. From the end of the street, Aldrich was walking quickly as if he was heading towards me.
Not wanting to see him at that moment, I chose to speed up my pace towards the bus stop. Judging from the time, the bus should arrive soon.
And just as I arrived at the stop, the bus that passed by my apartment complex stopped. I hurried over and the door opened. As I was about to get on, my hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Elena, I'll take you home," said Aldrich.
I stopped in my tracks. I turned to him and pulled my hand away. "Let go, Aldrich. I can go home by myself."
"No, you can't. It's almost nighttime, and I want to take you out to dinner. You already refused the lunch I sent you. This time, you can't refuse."
"You're so stubborn. I can find my own food. I don't need my brother-in-law to arrange it for me," I said, emphasizing the words "brother-in-law." He should realize that his attitude was going too far.